Northwest Fishing Reports

Just thought this was interesting so I thought I'd post something about it...

So last week I received a phone call from WDFW stating abnormal activity on my catch card. Some lady stated they weren't enforcing anything, just that me fishing coho on a certain river was either illegal or abnormal fishing. I confirmed to them that I did fish and did catch Coho. She asked me if I was certain that I knew what I was fishing for. I told her yes I knew.

She was kinda a B****. I didn't appreciate how she was with me and apparently they don't check rule updates prior to calling.

Just to cover my tail I had to double check if I read the rule correctly... I did.

https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efis ... jsp?id=819

Has anyone else expierenced such activity from WDFW?

That link goes to a steehead info page. I don't see how coho is related to it.

I don't fish for salmon or steelhead so I don't understand the problem.

Maybe an explination for this uneducated non-trout specie fishing person.

This is in the rule update.

3) Icicle River, from the mouth to 500 feet downstream of the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery Barrier Dam. September 29, 2009 - November 15, 2009. Three coho, minimum size 12 inches, may be retained daily. Release all floy-tagged coho.

Ok, thanks. Now I have no idea what a 'floy' is.

When did they start releasing coho into the Icicle? That's a pretty serious journey for a coho to be making. Were they in good shape when you caught them?

AMX - A floy is an easily spotted, external tag that is used mark fish. They mark all kinds of fish with them including bass.

Floy, is a tagging process they do when they are tracking fish. Its how they track where the fish go, where they spawn, ect. They look like the ink cartridge in a ball point pen, just more flexible. They have a number on it and they insert them near the fish's dorsal fin.

Thanks.

G-Man wrote:When did they start releasing coho into the Icicle?

A floy is an easily spotted, external tag that is used mark fish.

They have been in there a while. The native americans started that, so I've heard.

Sounds a little familiar.. http://www.washingtonlakes.com/forum/ya ... today.aspx

Copy that Gringo! She wasn't friendly with me! LOL.

G-Man wrote:When did they start releasing coho into the Icicle? That's a pretty serious journey for a coho to be making. Were they in good shape when you caught them?

AMX - A floy is an easily spotted, external tag that is used mark fish. They mark all kinds of fish with them including bass.

They were dark so I smoked them and they turned out to be pretty tasty... This year fishing for steelhead I caught a couple that were nice and bright.

I did some research for you.

The yakima nation initiated the mid-columbia restoration project in 96, which reintroduced the species into the wenatchee and methow sub-basins. And they haven't released any into the entiat river, coho have been seen there since 01.

Thanks for the info. Looks like the Wenatchee system is staging a good comeback.